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Nadal is cautious in return following back injury

Nadal is cautious in return following back injury

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RIO DE JANEIRO — Rafael Nadal is taking it easy at the Rio Open, nursing a back injury and hoping it gets better.

No. 1-ranked Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver in his first-round match on Tuesday night, his first in more than three weeks after losing the Australian Open final to Stanislaw Wawrinka.

Nadal was an overwhelming favorite in Australia to win his 14th Grand Slam title, but he picked up the back strain warming up and was never the same.